Sains Malaysiana 51(2)(2022): 405-419

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5102-07

New Empirical Approach for the Estimation of Soil Cohesion and Friction Angle in 2D Form for Site Investigations

(Pendekatan Empirik Baru terhadap Anggaran Persepaduan Tanah dan Sudut Geseran dalam Bentuk 2D untuk Kajian Lapangan)

BALA BALARABE^1,2, ANDY ANDERSON BERY¹*, TEOH YING JIA¹ & AMIN ESMAIL KHALIL³

¹School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia

²Department of Physics, Faculty of Physical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

³Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Ain Helwan, Cairo, Egypt

Received: 18 January 2021/Accepted: 18 June 2021

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the multiple linear regression (MLR) models developed from electrical resistivity and seismic refraction surveys for quick prediction of subsurface soil’s shear strength parameters. A total of four parameters have been considered with electrical resistivity and seismic refraction velocity as the independent variables: and soil cohesion and internal friction angle as the dependent variables. In order to mitigate the effects of nonlinearity of resistivity and velocity, both datasets were initially log-transformed to conform with the fundamental assumptions of regression analysis. Two models were therefore built based on the strong multiple linear relationships between explanatory and response variables, with coefficient of determination (R²), 0.777, p-values, < 0.050, Durbin-Watson value, 1.787 and multicollinearity, 1.185. The obtained models’ coefficients were transferred and used for the estimation of 2D models soil cohesion and internal angle of friction for validation. Thereafter, the developed models demonstrated good performance, having subjected to accuracy assessment with results at < 5%, and < 10% for the root mean square error (RMSE) and weighted mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) respectively. Therefore, the new developed soil’s shear strength MLR models have provided continual description of soil properties in two-dimensional form, enhancing the subsurface information for site investigations as compared, to one-dimensional information from the invasive method.

Keywords: Land uses; refraction; regression; resistivity; shear strength

ABSTRAK

Kajian ini membentangkan model regresi linear berganda (MLR) yang dibangunkan daripada tinjauan kerintangan elektrik dan pembiasan seismik untuk meramalkan parameter kekuatan ricih bagi permukaan bawah tanah. Sebanyak empat parameter telah dipertimbangkan dengan halaju kerintangan elektrik dan biasan seismik sebagai pemboleh ubah tidak bersandar: dan persepaduan tanah dan sudut geseran dalaman sebagai pemboleh ubah bersandar. Untuk mengurangkan kesan tidak kelinearan kerintangan dan halaju, kedua-dua set data pada mulanya diubah log untuk mematuhi andaian asas analisis regresi. Oleh itu, kedua-dua model dibina berdasarkan hubungan linear berganda yang kuat antara pemboleh ubah penjelasan dan tindak balas, dengan pekali penentuan (R²), 0.777, nilai-p, < 0.050, nilai Durbin-Watson, 1.787 dan multikolineariti, 1.185. Pekali model yang diperoleh telah dipindahkan dan digunakan untuk menganggarkan persepaduan tanah model 2D dan sudut geseran dalaman untuk pengesahan. Kemudian, model yang dibangunkan menunjukkan prestasi yang baik, setelah tertakluk kepada penilaian ketepatan dengan keputusan pada < 5 dan < 10% masing-masing untuk ralat purata kuasa dua akar (RMSE) dan ralat peratusan mutlak purata berpemberat (MAPE). Oleh itu, model MLR kekuatan ricih tanah yang baru dibangunkan telah memberikan penerangan berterusan tentang sifat tanah dalam bentuk dua dimensi, maklumat bawah permukaan tanah untuk kajian tapak berbanding dengan maklumat satu dimensi daripada kaedah invasif.

Kata kunci: Biasan; kegunaan tanah; kekuatan ricih; kerintangan; regresi

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*Corresponding author; email: andersonbery@yahoo.com.my